Advice on Diesal Tow Vehicle

[DaveTheAffable]

Point me to some advice on diesal vehicles for consumers.

 

I want to be able to tow a 10,000 lb trailer.

 

- Ford?

- GM

- Dodge?

- New

- Used

- Don't care if it's "SUV/Suburban" or Pick'em-up truck

Any good sites? I Googled.... and got overwhelmed.

 

Thanks!

[Bill_Walker]

You might as well be asking which brand of oil to use.

 

For Fords (which is what I have), The Diesel Stop is a great site similar to BMWST. Just be aware that here, PMS is Parked Motorcycle Syndrome, while there, it's Powerstroke Mod Syndrome.

 

It's pretty generally agreed that the 6.0 Powerstroke is to be avoided. The earlier 7.3 will run forever, and I don't know about the 6.4.

[CarrotNC]

...For Fords (which is what I have), The Diesel Stop is a great site similar to BMWST. Just be aware that here, PMS is Parked Motorcycle Syndrome, while there, it's Powerstroke Mod Syndrome.

 

It's pretty generally agreed that the 6.0 Powerstroke is to be avoided. The earlier 7.3 will run forever, and I don't know about the 6.4.

 

+1 on the 7.3 liter Powerstroke Ford. No longer have mine, but it was a heck of a strong setup. Pulling a flatbed with a car on it, you'd never know it was back there. Averaged 18mpg around town, 21mpg on the highway, and best ever was 24mpg pulling a trailer back from the mountains.

 

Not sure how the new ULSD fuel would impact the engine though.

 

Agreed on the Diesel Stop website, they really helped out.

[DaveTheAffable]

You might as well be asking which brand of oil to use.

Thanks Bill..... (and Carrot)

 

Seriously appreciate it Bill. I was just in your neigborhood this weekend. The lovely Mrs. Affable and I are now owners of a 19ft travel trailer, and for our "Maiden Voyage" we went La Habra to.... Vista/San Marcos. We stayed at the Guajome Regional Park for two nights as kind of a shake-down run. I learned:

 

- My Chevy Tahoe with it's puny 4.8L is NOT a great tow vehicle.

- Mrs Affable THOUROUGHLY enjoyed herself, and thats worth a lot to me.

 

We will be looking for a different tow vehicle, and I want it to be as close to my last as possible.

 

 

[Dave C.]

The new 2010 and up Chevy diesels use and I am not making this up Diesel exhaust fluid. If you can find an '07 low mile diesel that would be the best 08 and up have a DPF diesel particulate filter. In California now even the diesels have to get a smog check. Right now it is just a visual but I am thinking it will get more intense as the years go by.

 

I have a 08 Chevy 2500HD and I pull a 15K fifth wheel trailer with it and I can climb any of the hills on I-15 going south to SD from Corona and accelerate all the way up the hills.

 

Dave

[russell_bynum]

There's the Dodge with the Cummins, and then there's all that other crap.

[MotorinLA]

There's the Dodge with the Cummins, and then there's all that other crap.

 

Too bad the Cummins is the only quality part on a Dodge... :smirk:

 

Diesels are great and will last a long time, which is why you could buy a used one and still have it for years to come, assuming you get the right truck. I have several friends with 2000-2005 Fords that have had major problems with their transfer cases, generally costing $2500-4000 to fix (not covered by warranty).

 

Chevys with the Duramax 6.6L engine are according to several mechanics I have spoken with one of the better diesel trucks. I must say that our 2005 Chevy Silverado 2500HD Diesel has been great since we bought it new in 2005, with no problems in over 60,000 miles. We have towed loaded horse trailers up and down the Grapevine and in the Santa Inez mountains without any issues. The power is great, giving you a great response, even while towing at higher speeds.

 

Regardless of which truck you end up buying, remember that as of 2010 you have to smog your diesel truck. So, do not buy any truck that has after-market air cleaners or exhaust systems. The guy you're buying it from may be selling it because it won't smog and it can be extremely expensive to correct the problem.

 

If you go north of L.A. county you seem to be more likely to get diesel trucks that were bought and used for their intended purpose, namely hauling and towing, not as some jack@$$' play thing to show off for his friends. As a general rule, you should probably avoid trucks with after market lift kits, chips, over-sized rims, etc.

 

Good luck and feel free to PM if you want more personal experience BS.

[eddd]

The Diesel Place is the forum for Chevy/GM diesel trucks.

 

The Duramax Engine/Allison Transmission is a very good combination. The earliest Duramax engines (up through 2004.5) know as a LB7 had injector issues.

 

The 7.3 Ford is a great, but a bit noisy, engine. The trucks with those engines might be too old for your taste. The 6.0 was a major screw up for Ford. The 6.4 seems to have more than it's share of problems.

 

New diesels are all getting lower mileage due largely to more complicated emissions devices.

 

Definately used. New diesel truck prices are obscene. It is a great time to take advantage the many used trucks that people/dealers are trying to sell.

[russell_bynum]

There's the Dodge with the Cummins, and then there's all that other crap.

 

Too bad the Cummins is the only quality part on a Dodge... :smirk:

 

Well yeah...there's that.

[skinny_tom (aka boney)]

Thinks to know about Diesel trucks in CA:

 

1998 and newer trucks now get smog checked every other year and upon sale. DO NOT BUY A MODIFIED TRUCK IN THAT RANGE. Actually, just don't buy a modified truck. They pull plenty without chips, injectors, larger turbos and all that crap.

 

The older the truck, the less emissions equipment there is on it. For the model years 98.5 to 2002, there wasn't even a catalytic converter on the dodges. (don't know about other makes)

 

Common rail injector trucks are more powerful and quieter than the mechanical injector trucks.

 

The inline 6 makes working on the dodge easier if you're into that kind of thing.

 

If you're not going to be using it all the time, buying a used older model is well worth the savings. New trucks can be close to $50k, and you can get 10 year old trucks with lots of life left in them for $10-12k.

[upflying]

The new 2010 and up Chevy diesels use and I am not making this up Diesel exhaust fluid. If you can find an '07 low mile diesel that would be the best 08 and up have a DPF diesel particulate filter. In California now even the diesels have to get a smog check. Right now it is just a visual but I am thinking it will get more intense as the years go by.

 

I have a 08 Chevy 2500HD and I pull a 15K fifth wheel trailer with it and I can climb any of the hills on I-15 going south to SD from Corona and accelerate all the way up the hills.

 

Dave

The diesel exhaust fluid is "Urea" I believe, basically ammonia injected into the exhaust to clean it up. Late model diesels run rich to keep the catalytic converters hot. That rich mixture reduces MPG. You can identity these new diesels with giant, air cooled exhaust tips. Ca is currently doing smog checks on diesels.

Best diesel truck is a Ford, with a Cummuns engine and an Allison transmission.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[markgoodrich]

With apologies, given the question seems to be pretty thoroughly asnwered, I'd like to veer off topic slightly. I would like to pull a small trailer, just a two-bike open trailer, or perhaps a single-axle enclosed trailer with one or two bikes in it, and am enamored of the VW diesels such as the Jetta. I'd get good mileage when not towing, but wonder if the thing would be up to pulling over passes, and have brakes enough to slow in similar situations.

[Whip]

With apologies, given the question seems to be pretty thoroughly asnwered, I'd like to veer off topic slightly. I would like to pull a small trailer, just a two-bike open trailer, or perhaps a single-axle enclosed trailer with one or two bikes in it, and am enamored of the VW diesels such as the Jetta. I'd get good mileage when not towing, but wonder if the thing would be up to pulling over passes, and have brakes enough to slow in similar situations.

 

The Touareg TDI is awesome.

 

Jetta is a toy when it comes to towing.

 

 

[markgoodrich]

Too expensive, lousy mileage. I used to tow my track bike in a Uhaul trailer behind a Hyundai with a 3 liter six...no issues, ever. But then, I didn't go over the mountains, either.

[upflying]

You can tow with a small car..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShOsmWk35Lo

[markgoodrich]

Bob, dammit, I asked about DIESELS!

[John Ranalletta]

Lots of variables to consider besides hp and torque. Trailering with a smaller car puts more emphasis on load balancing and tongue weight. Enclosed trailers add drag and lots of weight.

 

I tow with a WRX and Accord. GS on a steel trailer, but the bike is located aft on the trailer so the tongue weight on the hitch is ca. 50 lbs. Pulls like a dream on both vehicles. Adding another bike ca. 400 lbs wouldn't be a problem, but I'd worry more about the drive train (tranny overheating) in the Accord.

 

We towed 4k miles this summer with the 100K mile Accord in 100+ deg weather without a problem.

[markgoodrich]

Thanks, John, I'm aware I can pull with fairly small cars, I am specifically interested in the Jetta diesel. I have a Camry Hybrid which has a "if you put a hitch on it we will void you" warning, despite the total inability of anyone at Toyota to explain why. I know of one guy who towed two Harleys all over the country with his Hybrid, he told me it worked fine. But Whip was so humiliated about riding two blocks in the Hybrid I was thinking maybe a Jetta diesel would cheer him up:

 

[John Ranalletta]

despite the total inability of anyone at Toyota to explain why.

I understand. During a test drive of the Infiniti G37x, I asked the rep about towing and he responded, "...can't see why not, but the official line is 'no'".

 

Also, more mfrs are omitting the "towing capacity" in their spec sheets. I remember one or two reading, "not recommended", but lots just don't include it.

 

I got really hot for a LS 460 and jokingly asked about towing. Looking under the car, there's no place to put a hitch as it has a panel enclosing the underside. Come to think of it, I've never seen a LS towing a camper.

[John Ranalletta]

This guy's got a p/u for sale cheap (as is, where is) if you're looking for a towing vehicle. Wait 'til 60 sec. mark. The website is crap, but the vid is, well, funny, in a sick sort of way.

[Boone60]

This guy's got a p/u for sale cheap (as is, where is) if you're looking for a towing vehicle. Wait 'til 60 sec. mark. The website is crap, but the vid is, well, funny, in a sick sort of way.

 

That'll buff right out.

[steve.foote]

There's the Dodge with the Cummins, and then there's all that other crap.

 

:rofl:

 

Oh, I so want to throw a lamp at you right now.